Warriors assistant Ron Adams finally reaches a level of stability

Golden State Warriors' assistant coach Ron Adams walks on the court before Warriors play Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 2, 2016.

Golden State Warriors' assistant coach Ron Adams walks on the court before Warriors play Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of NBA Finals at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Thursday, June 2, 2016.

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

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Stephen Curry leans over and hugs Assistant Coach Ron Adams on the bench as the Golden State Warriors played the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif., on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The Warriors won 114-81, to advance to the second round. less

Stephen Curry leans over and hugs Assistant Coach Ron Adams on the bench as the Golden State Warriors played the Houston Rockets in Game 5 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs at Oracle Arena ... more

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

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Kevin Durant (second from right in green hat) talks with Bob Myers (left), Warriors general manager, Steve Kerr (second from left), Warriors head coach, and Ron Adams (right), Warriors assistant coach, before the introductory press conference for Durant at the Warriors practice facility on Thursday, July 7, 2016 in Oakland, California. less

Above, Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams reacts to a call during Golden State’s 112-108 win over the Clippers on Nov. 4 at Oracle Arena. Below, Adams hugged Draymond Green when the U.S. Olympic Team held an exhibition at Oracle in August. less

Above, Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams reacts to a call during Golden State’s 112-108 win over the Clippers on Nov. 4 at Oracle Arena. Below, Adams hugged Draymond Green when the U.S. Olympic Team held an ... more

Photo: Scott Strazzante, The Chronicle

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Draymond Green (14) hugs Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams before the USA Mens National basketball team played the China Mens National team at Oracle Arena in an exhibition game in Oakland , Calif., on Tuesday, July 26, 2016. The teams head to Rio for the Olympics beginning on August 6. less

Draymond Green (14) hugs Warriors assistant coach Ron Adams before the USA Mens National basketball team played the China Mens National team at Oracle Arena in an exhibition game in Oakland , Calif., on ... more

Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle

Warriors assistant Ron Adams finally reaches a level of stability

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MINNEAPOLIS — In June 2014, after accepting an assistant-coaching job with the Warriors, Ron Adams made his wife, Leah, an assurance: There was no need for her to leave their home in Chicago’s north suburbs.

“She had a really good support group in Chicago,” Adams said, “so I told her to live wherever she wanted to live. I didn’t know how many years I was going to do this (with Golden State), anyway.”

After Leah spent two NBA seasons commuting, the Adams family sold its Chicago-area house this past summer and bought one in Oakland. It was only a couple of months earlier that Ron had declined an offer to join longtime friend Tom Thibodeau’s Timberwolves staff. In his 48th year of a career that has spanned seven colleges and eight NBA teams, Adams, now 69, has found a measure of stability.

Long known for teaching young squads how to play defense, he relishes a new challenge with the Warriors. Getting a rotation that features five newcomers, including seven-time All Star Kevin Durant, to understand the nuances of his system — the screens, the spacing, the reads — is no simple feat. That Golden State boasts the NBA’s most potent offense in years makes it only more difficult to persuade the team to play consistent defense.

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After enduring early struggles, particularly on the interior, the Warriors have emerged as one of the stingiest clubs in the league. Though Golden State’s fast pace makes it tough to hold teams to low point totals, it leads the NBA in lowest opponent three-point field-goal percentage (32.3), and ranks third in lowest opponent field-goal defense (43.1) and most steals per turnover (0.64).

“He’s constantly talking defense,” forward David West said of Adams. “The good thing about this group is we’ve got that flexibility, and everyone’s starting to adjust. If one thing isn’t working, we’ll talk about it.”

Adams grew close to Thibodeau during their time together on staffs with San Antonio (1992-94) and Philadelphia (1994-96). In June 2010, when the Bulls tabbed him as their head coach, Thibodeau made Adams one of his first hires. More than reuniting with Thibodeau, Adams appreciated the chance to live again with his family, which had remained in the Chicago area during Adams’ two-year stint as an assistant with Oklahoma City.

During Adams’ 2011 induction into the Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Fresno Pacific, a letter from Thibodeau was read aloud as part of the ceremony. Thibodeau wrote that Adams was “as fine a teacher as there is in the game today.”

News of the move sent shock waves through the league because head coaches typically handle their staffs, and Adams was widely considered a premier assistant. After reportedly fielding interest from the Clippers, Pacers, Spurs, Thunder and Nets, Adams headed to Boston to aid first-year head coach Brad Stevens with a sizable rebuild.

It was a year later that Steve Kerr lured Adams to Oakland, where Adams is a three-hour drive from his native Fresno County. He is the architect behind a defense that has come to complement the Warriors’ record-setting three-pointers.

“They have such a great organization that I knew it was kind of tongue-in-cheek,” Thibodeau, whose Minnesota team lost at home 116-108 to Golden State on Sunday, said of his recent job offer to Adams. “I know how happy he is with the situation that he's in.”

Workmen have occupied the Adamses’ house almost every day for the past four months, chipping away at minor renovations. It is an inconvenience the family hardly minds. After nearly five decades of ping-ponging between jobs, Ron Adams is finally starting to get settled.

“I’m done moving,” he said. “I like my team.”

Pachulia update: Center Zaza Pachulia (right wrist contusion) is listed as doubtful for the Warriors’ game Tuesday in New Orleans. He is expected to have an MRI exam when he returns to Oakland.